And yet, he pays attention to the poor and needy,
Pulling them out of the dumpster
Society has tossed them into,
Dressing them up in the finest clothes
And seating them among princes and princesses,
Among the best of his people.
(Everyday Psalms, Psalm 113, page 262)
Growing up in big cities, I didn’t realize how many stars can be seen without a telescope. But then we went far away from the city lights polluting the night sky with their overabundance of light. And there before my eyes in the thin mountain air were fields of stars. At home, all I could see were a few constellations — the Big Dipper, Orion — but there, I could see the Milky Way spread out in glory.
Prayer does the same for the soul.
Once my eyes are turned from the empty people and things — the pompous, the powerful, and the preposterous — I can finally see the ones I’m supposed to see.
With clear eyes, I can see my neighbor, notice she’s not been taking her daily walks, bring her flowers, and hear about her cancer treatments.
With ears no longer traumatized by the noise, I can hear birdsong and the hushed sound of rain drizzling on my roof as creation declares the glory of God.
To seek justice, I need to see and hear those who get sidelined and stifled by the glitter and glam of our me-first celebrity culture. To truly love those whom God has put in my life to love, I have to put down my phone and turn off the chaos to look them in the eye and hear their hearts.
The quiet.
The small.
The delicate.
The hidden.
The forgotten.
The abandoned.
The overlooked.
The poor.
The marginalized.
The mocked.
The unprepared.
The elderly.
God has a special affinity for these kinds of people and places and things. These are the people God works through, the places God works at, and the things God cherishes.
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” It’s a question asked in mockery but which should have been a sign to keep a close eye on Nazareth.
God is at work at all times, in all places, and in all people. As we pray with eyes wide open, we gain a new attentiveness to what God is doing around us in the unremarkable seeming people and places and things, the ones ignored by those captivated by sequins and sizzle.
Prayer: Gracious God, the manger and the cross both speak to your humility, your willingness to use the ignored and disgraced things of this world to bear its greatest treasure. I miss so much of you and what you’re doing because I get caught up in the PR blitzes and celebrity culture I’m inundated with. Lead me beside still waters that I may hear your voice and pay attention to the small and good and faithful people and things you are revealing your glory through. In Jesus. Amen.